Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan has said that the first terrorist in free India was a Hindu. He was referring to Nathuram Godse who killed Mahatma Gandhi.
Addressing an election rally for his party candidate in Aravakurichi assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district. Haasan clarified that his statement was not meant to appeal to the Muslim-majority electorate in the constituency.
“I am not saying this because this is a Muslim-dominated area, but I am saying this before a statue of Gandhi. Independent India’s first terrorist was a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse. There it (terrorism, apparently) starts,” he said.
Aravakurichi is one of the four assembly constituencies where bypolls will be held on May 19. Kamal Haasan’s MNM has fielded a candidate from that seat.
Haasan said he was a “self-assumed great-grandson” of Mahatma Gandhi and that he had come here “seeking answers for his assassination.
“Good Indians desire for equality and want the three colours in the tricolour to remain intact. I am a good Indian, will proudly proclaim that,” Haasan added.
Actor Vivek Oberoi who played Narendra Modi in a biopic on Prime Minister Modi slammed Haasan’s remarks, saying both art and terror “have no religion”.
“Dear Kamal sir, you are a great artist. Just like art has no religion, terror has no religion either! You can say Godse was a terrorist, why would you specify Hindu? Is it because you were in a Muslim dominated area looking for votes?” Vivek said in a tweet.
“Please sir, from a much smaller artist to a great one, lets not divide this country, we are one Jai Hind..#AkhandBharat #UnDividedIndia,” Vivek added.
